JP2002341110A - Method of recycling optical element and recycling management system for optical element, method of holding optical element, optical writing system as well as image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recycling management system for optical elements which is capable of easily and efficiency managing the recyclable optical elements. SOLUTION: A CPU 102 of the recycling management system 100 is inputted with the data on the lens units judged to be recyclable among the lens units removed from devices in a recycling process step, stores the data (lot numbers, the inputted date of recovery and the results of the reevaluation of optical characteristics) of the lens units judged to be recyclable into a lens unit discrete data file 201 of a file system 108 and stores the ratios of the number of pieces of the recyclable lens units to the number of the fed units of the devices in the recycling process step in a date unit in accordance with the data stored in the lens unit discrete data file 201 into a recycling ratio file 203.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for recycling optical elements used in scanners, copiers, laser printers, facsimile machines and the like, a recycling management apparatus for optical elements, a method for holding optical elements, an optical writing apparatus, and The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, environmental considerations have been actively demanded, and measures for environmental protection have been promoted. When a product that has reached the end of its life is taken from the market, efforts are made to reuse as much of the component as possible, if possible, and the product is re-introduced. . In particular, since optical elements are expensive, there is a high need for reuse.

For example, in the disassembly and inspection method of a film unit with a lens disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 6-175295, the method of disassembly and inspection of a film unit with a lens in which all parts such as a cover, a battery, a strobe, a counter and a shutter are combined is disclosed. After transporting the film unit with lens to the inspection position and positioning it in a certain posture,
After inspecting the shape, electrical characteristics, appearance, operation, etc. of the part to be removed among the parts, and then transporting the film unit with the lens to the disassembly position and positioning it in a fixed posture, the part to be removed is included in the inspection information. There is disclosed a technology for dividing into those that can be reused and those that cannot be reused.

In the method of disassembling a film unit with a lens disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-90837, a photographed picture is reproduced in a method of reproducing a film unit with a lens in which a photographic film and a cartridge are previously incorporated in a unit body including a photographing mechanism. Disassemble the unit body recovered after taking out the film with the cartridge, separate functionally independent unit mechanism parts including at least movable parts and conduct a function test on them. And used for the unit to be regenerated, and for those judged as rejected products in the functional inspection, for all of them, certain parts are replaced or corrected, and after that, the functional inspection is performed again. There is no disclosure about the technology used for the unit body that regenerates products that have been judged to be acceptable. .

By the way, when optical writing devices used in image forming apparatuses such as laser printers and digital copiers began to appear on the market, glass optical elements were used for reasons such as securing optical accuracy. Almost. But,
Use of plastic materials for optical elements, improvement in mold piece processing technology, improvement in mold accuracy, and further advancement of molding technology, which is advantageous in terms of cost, and optical performance by adopting an aspherical surface In order to achieve higher performance, the material of the optical element has been replaced by a plastic material.
Such an optical element made of plastic is set in a mounting shape provided in a housing (box-shaped plastic housing) of an optical writing device for reasons of assemblability and cost reduction, and is fixed with a metal fitting or an adhesive. There are many things to be done.

As a reference technical document relating to such an optical element made of plastic, for example, a reference projection for positioning is provided on the optical element, and this reference projection is set in a hole or a recess provided in a housing. A technique for improving the assembling property is disclosed in JP-A-5-249391.

[0007]

However, new parts also flow on the line for assembling products, and reusable parts and new parts are mixed. For this reason, the reusable parts and the new parts are managed separately. However, if the numbers of the parts are not properly managed, surplus parts may be generated, or the parts may be insufficient and cannot be commercialized. Also, if the number of storage locations is not properly managed, parts will be miscellaneous, and an unnecessarily large storage location will be required. Furthermore, if you do not manage the number of reused parts,
It is not possible to know how many new parts need to be processed. Also, if the ratio of reused parts is not known, it is not possible to make an operation plan for the assembly line,
There has been a problem that it is also difficult to improve production efficiency.

When an optical element made of plastic is fixed by using an adhesive, the optical element cannot be removed without being partially broken to be removed from the optical housing when the optical element is recycled, so that the optical function is satisfied. There is a problem that it cannot be reused in a state where it has been used. Further, even in the mounting of the optical element in JP-A-5-249391, for the same reason, it is impossible to remove it during recycling or reuse it as an optical element.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides an optical element recycling method and an optical element recycling management apparatus capable of easily and efficiently managing reusable optical elements. The first purpose is to do so.

It is a second object of the present invention to provide a method for holding an optical element which is easy to disassemble and can be recycled even when the optical element made of a plastic material is fixed by bonding or the like.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of recycling an optical element, comprising: removing an optical element unit from an apparatus and reusing the optical element unit; A disassembling step of removing the optical element unit from the apparatus, a cleaning step of cleaning the removed optical element unit, an inspection step of inspecting the cleaned optical element unit, and re-installing the optical element unit based on the inspection result. A sorting process for sorting available units and non-reusable units, a data input process for inputting data of reusable optical element units, and a reusable optical element unit for the number of devices to be inserted on a daily basis Calculating the ratio of the number of optical element units.

According to the invention, the optical element unit is removed from the apparatus, the removed optical element unit is cleaned, the cleaned optical element unit is inspected, and the optical element unit can be reused based on the inspection result. Sorting into non-reusable units and inputting the data of reusable optical element units, and calculating the ratio of the number of reusable optical element units to the number of input devices on a daily basis. Will be possible.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for recycling an optical element.
The disassembling step of removing the optical element unit from the optical element unit that has been classified as non-reusable in the sorting step, the cleaning step of cleaning the disassembled optical element unit, and the inspection step of inspecting the cleaned optical element unit And a sorting step of sorting the optical element alone into reusable and non-reusable ones based on the inspection result, a data inputting step of inputting data of the reusable optical element alone, and a daily unit. And calculating a ratio of a single reusable optical element to the disassembled optical element unit.

According to the present invention, the optical element unit is removed from the optical element unit classified as non-reusable, the disassembled optical element unit is cleaned, and the cleaned optical element unit is inspected. The optical element unit is sorted into reusable and non-reusable units based on the data, and the data of the reusable optical element unit is input. It is possible to calculate the ratio of available optical elements alone.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method of the first or second aspect, the optical element unit is a lens unit, and the optical element unit is a lens. is there.

According to the above-mentioned invention, the reusable optical element unit or the optical element alone can be managed by using the optical element as a lens unit and the optical element alone as a lens in the first or second aspect. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for recycling an optical element, comprising: removing the optical element from the apparatus;
In the method for recycling an optical element to be reused, a disassembly step of removing the optical element from the device, a cleaning step of cleaning the removed optical element, an inspection step of inspecting the cleaned optical element, and A sorting process to sort optical elements into reusable and non-reusable ones, a data input process to input data of reusable optical elements, Ratio calculation process to calculate the ratio of the number of new optical elements, the number of reusable optical elements in stock, and the number of new devices manufactured Calculating the required number of new optical elements to be assembled.

According to the above invention, the optical element is removed from the device, the removed optical element is cleaned, the cleaned optical element is inspected, and based on the inspection result, the optical element is reusable and non-reusable. Sort data into reusable optical elements, enter data on reusable optical elements, calculate the ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to the By comparing the number of optical elements with the number of new devices manufactured, it is possible to calculate the required number of new optical elements to be assembled.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of recycling an optical element.
Based on the ratio of the number of optical elements determined to be reusable to the number of optical elements input to the recycling process calculated on a daily basis, the estimated occurrence ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to the number of devices input Is calculated.

According to the above invention, the number of optical elements which can be reused is determined based on the ratio of the number of optical elements determined to be reusable to the number of optical elements input to the recycling process, calculated on a daily basis. It is possible to calculate the predicted occurrence ratio of the number of optical elements.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of recycling an optical element.
Further, an occurrence number prediction step of calculating a predicted number of reusable optical elements for the planned input number based on the planned input number and the occurrence prediction ratio, and a reuse for a new device production number and the planned input number. A step of estimating a required number of new optical elements to be assembled with respect to a new number of manufactured devices based on the estimated number of possible optical elements.

According to the above-mentioned invention, the predicted number of reusable optical elements for the planned input number is calculated based on the planned input number and the predicted generation ratio, and the new device production number and the predicted Based on the estimated number of available optical elements, it is possible to predict the number of new optical elements required for assembly with respect to the number of new apparatuses manufactured.

Further, in the optical element recycling management apparatus according to claim 7, the optical element unit is removed from the apparatus, and the recycling step of the optical element to be reused is performed.
In a recycling management apparatus for managing recycling information, data input means for inputting data of an optical element unit determined to be reusable among optical element units removed from the apparatus in the recycling step, and the data input means First storage means for storing data of the optical element unit determined to be reusable input from
An optical element unit ratio calculating unit that calculates, on a daily basis, a ratio of the number of reusable optical element units to the number of input devices of the recycling process based on the data stored in the first storage unit; Second storage means for storing the ratio of the number of reusable optical element units to the number of input devices in the recycling process on a daily basis, calculated by the optical element unit ratio calculation means. .

According to the above invention, in the recycling step, the data of the optical element unit determined to be reusable among the optical element units removed from the apparatus is input, and the inputted input element is determined to be reusable. The data of the optical element unit is stored in the first storage means, and based on the data stored in the first storage means, the number of reusable optical element units with respect to the input number of the apparatus in the recycling process on a daily basis. Is calculated, and the ratio of the number of reusable optical element units to the number of input devices in the recycling process on a daily basis can be stored in the second storage means.

In the optical element recycling management apparatus according to the eighth aspect, in the invention according to the seventh aspect, the optical element is further removed from the optical element unit determined to be unreusable in the recycling step. Data input means for inputting data of the optical element unit determined to be reusable among the optical element units, and data of the optical element unit determined to be reusable input from the data input unit And a third storage unit for storing a ratio of the number of reusable optical element units to the disassembled lens units on a daily basis based on data stored in the first storage unit. An element unit ratio calculating means, and a reusable optical element unit for the lens unit decomposed on a daily basis, calculated by the optical element unit ratio calculating means. A fourth storage means for storing the ratio of the number of those having a.

According to the invention, in the recycling step, data of the optical element unit determined to be reusable among the optical element units removed from the optical element unit determined to be unreusable in the recycling step And the ratio of the reusable optical element unit to the disassembled optical element unit can be calculated on a daily basis.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the optical element unit is a lens unit and the single optical element is a lens. .

According to the present invention, the optical element unit is a lens unit and the optical element unit is a lens, so that the reusable optical element unit or the optical element unit is managed. Can be performed.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the recycling management apparatus for removing the optical element from the apparatus and managing recycling information in a recycling step of the optical element to be reused, In the recycling step, of the optical elements removed from the apparatus, data input means for inputting data of optical elements determined to be reusable, and optical elements determined to be reusable input from the data input means And a ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to the number of devices in the recycling process on a daily basis based on the data stored in the first storage. The calculated optical element ratio calculating means and the number of input units of the apparatus in the recycling process, calculated on a daily basis, calculated by the optical element ratio calculating means. Second storage means for storing the ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to be used, and comparing the number of reusable optical elements in stock with the number of new devices manufactured, and assembling new optical elements. Means for calculating the required number of new optical elements for calculating the required number of optical elements.

According to the above invention, in the recycling step, data of the optical elements determined to be reusable among the optical elements removed from the apparatus are input, and the input optical elements determined to be reusable are input. Is stored in the first storage means, and on the basis of the data stored in the first storage means, the ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to the number of recycle process devices input per day is calculated. , Calculated,
The ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to the number of input devices in the daily recycling process is stored in the second storage means, and the number of reusable optical elements in stock, the number of new devices manufactured, Can be calculated to calculate the required number of new optical elements to be assembled.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the optical element recycling management apparatus according to the tenth aspect, further comprising a recycle processing calculated on a daily basis, stored in the second storage means. Prediction occurrence ratio prediction means for calculating a prediction occurrence ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to the number of apparatus input, based on a ratio of the number of optical elements determined to be reusable to the number of optical elements input to the apparatus It is provided with.

According to the invention, the ratio of the number of optical elements determined to be reusable to the number of optical elements entered in the recycling process, calculated on a daily basis, stored in the second storage means Based on this, it is possible to calculate a predicted occurrence ratio of the number of reusable optical elements with respect to the number of input devices.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the optical element recycling management apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, further comprising an estimated number of input units and the estimated occurrence ratio calculated by the estimated occurrence ratio prediction means. Based on the estimated number of reusable optical elements to be calculated for the expected number of input devices, and an expected number of reusable optical elements for calculating the expected number of reusable optical elements for the number of new devices manufactured and the expected number of input devices. Means for predicting the required number of new optical elements to be assembled with respect to the new number of manufactured apparatuses.

According to the above invention, the predicted number of reusable optical elements for the planned number of input devices is calculated based on the planned number of input devices and the calculated occurrence prediction ratio, and is calculated as a new device manufacturing number. Based on the predicted number of reusable optical elements to be generated with respect to the planned number of input devices, it is possible to predict the number of new optical elements required to be assembled with respect to the number of new devices manufactured.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the method for holding an optical element in the optical housing, the non-scanning portion of the optical element is joined to the optical housing. A holding portion having a protrusion shape, and an insertion portion into which the holding portion is inserted into the optical housing, and holding the optical element by inserting the holding portion into the insertion portion.

According to the above invention, a projection-shaped holding portion joined to the optical housing is provided on the non-scanning portion of the optical element.
Providing an insertion portion into which the holding portion is inserted into the optical housing,
By inserting the holding part into the insertion part and holding the optical element, the optical element can be easily attached to the optical housing, and the non-scanning part that does not affect the optical function when dismantling during recycling use By doing so, the reusability of the optical element is improved.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the method of the thirteenth aspect, the holding portion has at least two portions having different widths or a shape having a smoothly changing width. It has.

According to the above invention, in claim 13,
The shape of the holding portion can be reliably set in the insertion portion of the optical housing by changing at least two portions having different widths or smoothly changing the width.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the method of the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect, the holding portion has a cut for cutting.

According to the above invention, claim 13 or claim 14 is provided.
In the above, the recycling dismantling work can be easily performed by making a cut for cutting in the holding portion.

In the method for holding an optical element according to a sixteenth aspect, in the invention of the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect, at least two or more of the holding parts are provided.

According to the above invention, claim 13 or claim 14 is provided.
In the above, by providing a plurality of holding parts, reuse using remaining holding parts other than the holding parts disassembled by recycling becomes possible.

In the method for holding an optical element according to a seventeenth aspect, in the invention according to the sixteenth aspect, the holding portion is provided as a pair at a target position with respect to the optical element. .

According to the above invention, in claim 16,
By providing a plurality of holding portions in pairs at the target position with respect to the optical element, the optical element can be used upside down during recycling.

In the method for holding an optical element according to the eighteenth aspect, in the invention according to the thirteenth aspect, the optical housing is adjacent to a side where the holding part is inserted, and has an opening larger than the insertion part. Part is provided.

According to the above invention, in claim 13,
By providing the optical housing with an opening larger than the insertion portion adjacent to the side where the holding portion is inserted, when the holding portion of the optical element is inserted into the insertion portion of the optical housing, the assembly is performed through the opening. It can be done easily.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the method of the eighteenth aspect, the portion between the insertion portion and the opening of the optical housing is constituted by an inclined portion. .

According to the above invention, in claim 18,
The optical housing is provided with an opening that is larger than the insertion portion adjacent to the side where the holding portion is inserted, and a portion connecting the insertion portion and the opening is an inclined portion, so that the optical element is inserted into the insertion portion of the optical housing. When the holding portion is inserted, it can be smoothly set in a predetermined insertion portion.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the nineteenth aspect, an adhesive layer is provided between the insertion portion of the optical housing and the holding portion.

According to the above invention, in claim 19,
By providing an adhesive layer between the insertion portion and the holding portion of the optical housing, it is possible to provide an adhesive layer that allows for shrinkage when fixing with an adhesive.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in the nineteenth aspect, the optical housing has a trapezoidal support for positioning the optical element.

According to the above invention, in claim 19,
By providing a trapezoidal support for positioning the optical element in the optical housing, the positioning when setting the optical element is ensured.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in the method of the eighteenth aspect, the optical housing has a support for mounting and positioning the optical element. In the case of two, at least a part of the opening exists on the support part side from a line formed by connecting a point closest to the opening adjacent to each support part, or the support part has 3 In one or more cases, at least a part of the opening exists inside the polygon formed by the respective support parts.

According to the above invention, in claim 18,
It has a support portion for mounting and positioning the optical element, and when there are two support portions, the opening portion is closer to the support portion side than a line formed by connecting a point closest to the opening portion adjacent to each support portion. If at least a part is present, or if there are three or more support parts, by configuring the positional relationship such that at least a part of the opening part exists inside a polygon formed by each support part, Problems such as catching when the holding portion is inserted into the optical housing are avoided.

Further, in the optical writing apparatus according to the twenty-third aspect, a projection-shaped holding portion joined to the optical housing is inserted into the non-scanning portion of the optical element, and the holding portion is inserted into the optical housing. And an insertion portion for holding the optical element by inserting the holding portion into the insertion portion.

According to the invention, when the optical element is held in the optical writing device, the positioning and fixing of the optical element is performed by setting the holding section of the optical element in the insertion section provided in the optical housing. In addition, the optical element can be easily mounted on the optical housing, and the reusability of the optical element is improved by disassembling the non-scanning portion which does not affect the optical function at the time of disassembly in the recycling use.

In the image forming apparatus according to a twenty-fourth aspect, a projection-shaped holding portion joined to the optical housing is inserted into the non-scanning portion of the optical element, and the holding portion is inserted into the optical housing. And an optical writing device which holds the optical element by inserting the holding portion into the insertion portion.

According to the above invention, a projection-shaped holding portion joined to the optical housing is provided on the non-scanning portion of the optical element.
The optical housing is provided with an insertion portion into which the holding portion is inserted, and the optical writing device, in which the holding portion of the optical element is set in the insertion portion provided in the optical housing, is mounted on the image forming apparatus. By disassembling the non-scanning portion that does not affect the optical function during disassembly in use, the reusability of the optical element is improved.

According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method for recycling an optical element, a projection-shaped holding part to be joined to the optical housing is inserted into a non-scanning part of the optical element, and the holding part is inserted into the optical housing. The optical element is removed from the device holding the optical element by inserting the holding part into the insertion part, and the optical element is reused.

According to the above invention, when the optical element is reused, the optical element is not affected by the apparatus by cutting the projection-shaped holding portion provided on the non-scanning portion of the optical element. It becomes possible to remove it in a state.

[0061]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, preferred embodiments of an optical element recycling method and an optical element recycling management apparatus, an optical element holding method, an optical writing apparatus, and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described. Embodiments will be described in detail. In this specification, an optical element is understood in a broad sense, and includes an optical element unit (for example, a lens unit) and optical element parts (for example, various lenses (for example, a scanning lens, an objective lens, a cylinder lens, and the like), Reflective mirrors, deflectors, etc.). In the following description, a case will be described in which the lens unit is to be recycled.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart for explaining the processing steps of the recycling method according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an apparatus (optical apparatus) including a lens unit (optical element) to be recycled. The processing steps of the recycling method of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In FIG. 1, first, a product is collected from a user in the market by a collection company (step S).
1), the product collected in the disassembly process is disassembled for each component (step S2). The lens unit among the disassembled components is put into a lens unit visual inspection step (step S3). The disassembled other parts are input to another process (step S8).

Step of Viewing the Lens Unit (Step S
In 3), the presence / absence of a flaw, crack, crack or the like of the lens unit is visually determined. By visual inspection,
The lens unit that is determined to be OK for scratches, cracks, cracks, etc. of the lens unit is put into a lens unit cleaning step (step S4). On the other hand,
The lens unit that is determined to be OK for scratches, cracks, cracks, etc. of the lens unit is put into a lens unit disassembling step (step S9).

Cleaning Step of Lens Unit (Step S)
In 4), the lens unit is cleaned. After the lens unit is cleaned, the lens unit is subjected to an optical inspection process (step S5).

In the optical inspection process of the lens unit (step S5), predetermined optical characteristics (MTF characteristics, reflectance, transmittance, etc.) are inspected, and it is determined whether the product can be mounted. . The lens unit determined to be mountable on the product is reused (step S6), and the individual data (lot No., collection date, optical property re-evaluation result, etc.) is stored in the recycling management device 1
00 is input from the input unit 101 and stored in the recycling management apparatus 100 (step S7). On the other hand, the lens unit that is determined to be unable to be mounted on the product is put into a disassembling step of the single lens (step S9).

In the lens disassembly step (step S9) described above, the lens unit is disassembled into single lenses, and then is put into a lens single step cleaning step (step S10). In the step of cleaning the single lens unit (step S10), the single lens unit is cleaned, and the cleaned single lens unit is input to the optical inspection process of the single lens unit (step S11).

In the above-described optical inspection process for a single lens (step S11), the lens is inspected for scratches and cracks, and the state and transmittance of the coating film, and it is determined whether the lens can be reused. Will be As a result of this determination, the lens unit determined to be reusable will be reused (step S12), and the individual data (lot No., collection date, lens unit re-evaluation result, etc.) will be stored in the recycling management device. The information is input from the input unit 101 of the device 100 and is stored in the recycling management device 100 (step S13). On the other hand, the lens alone determined to be unreusable is not reused (step S14).

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the recycling management apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The recycle management device 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes an input unit 101 for giving data input and operation instructions, a CPU 102 for controlling the entire device, a RAM 103 used as a work area of the CPU 102, and a device for displaying information. A display unit 104, a printer unit 105 for outputting information to recording paper, a recording medium drive device 106 for reading / writing data on a recording medium 107,
A recording medium 107 storing a program for operating the CPU 102 and the like, and a file device 108 for managing recycling information are provided. Each unit is connected to each other via a bus.

The input unit 101 includes a keyboard having cursor keys, numeric input keys, and various function keys.
It consists of a mouse, a scanner for reading images, and the like.
The input unit 101 is not necessarily used for the recycling management device 10.
0 does not need to be connected locally, but can be connected to a PHS / remote terminal (for example, Personal Digital Assistan
t) and the recycling management device 1
A device capable of bidirectional data communication with 00 may be used as the input means. The input unit 101 is a CPU
This is a user interface for giving an operation command to 102 to operate it. Note that the input unit 101 is not limited to the above-described one, and a touch panel, a trackball, a voice recognition mechanism, or the like may be used.

The display unit 104 is a CRT (Cathod Rad).
y Tube), LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), plasma display, etc.
Is displayed in accordance with the display data input from.

The CPU 102 is, for example, a 32-bit microprocessor, another microprocessor, DS
It consists of P (Digital Signal Processor) and programmable logic. The CPU 102 does not necessarily have to be a single processor, but may be of a type that performs distributed processing. The CPU 102 is a central control unit that controls the entire apparatus according to a program stored in a recording medium 107.
Is connected to an input unit 101, a display unit 104, a recording medium drive device 106, a RAM 103, and a file device 108, and reads a program by accessing a memory, reads / writes various data, inputs data / commands, Control display and so on.

The recording medium 107 has an OS program (eg, WINDOWS) executable by the CPU 102.
(Registered trademark)) and control programs. The recording medium 107 is, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, an optical, magnetic, or electric recording medium such as an MO or a PC card. The various programs are stored in the recording medium 107 in a form that can be executed by the CPU 102. The program stored in the recording medium 107 can be distributed via a network.

The RAM 103 has a work memory for storing designated programs, input instructions, input data, processing results, and the like, and a display memory for temporarily storing display data to be displayed on the display screen of the display unit 104. ing.

The file unit 108 stores a lens unit individual data file 1 in which individual data (lot No., collection date, optical characteristic re-evaluation result, etc.) of a lens unit determined to be reusable in the above-described recycling process is stored.
11 and an individual lens individual data file 112 in which individual data (lot No., collection date, lens individual item re-evaluation result, etc.) of the individual lens that is determined to be reusable in the above-mentioned recycling process are stored. , The ratio of the number of lens units judged to be reusable to the number of devices put into the recycling process, the ratio of lens units disassembled into single lenses, and the judgment that reusability is possible for the number of disassembled lens units Reuse ratio file 113 that stores the ratio of the used single lens, and correction data for the delicate ratio change due to the influence of the situation when each part is processed, how it is used, and the area where it is collected Are stored, and an assembly data file 115 that stores the number of processed and manufactured units.

FIG. 3 is a table showing a specific example of the lens unit individual data file 111 in FIG. FIG.
Is the lens unit individual data file 112 in FIG.
6 is a table showing a specific example of the above. FIG. 5 is a chart showing a specific example of the reuse ratio file 113 in FIG.

Next, a data management method of the recycling management apparatus 100 will be described. Recycling management device 100
Then, the CPU 102 stores the individual data (lot No., collection date, optical property re-evaluation result, etc.) of the lens unit determined to be reusable input from the input unit 101 in the lens unit individual data file 1 of the file device 108.
11 (see FIG. 3). Also, the CPU 102
Individual data (lot No., collection date, lens single item re-evaluation result, etc.) of the lens single item determined to be reusable input from the input unit 101 are stored in the lens unit individual data file 112 of the file device 108 (see FIG. 4). To be stored. Note that the CPU 102 inputs the current date and time for the recycle line input date of the lens unit individual data file 111 and the lens unit individual data file 112. When a reusable lens unit or a single lens is put into the assembly line, the fact is input from the input unit 101, and the CPU 101 sets the assembly line input flag to “1”. The CPU 101 calculates the stock quantity of the reusable lens unit or the single lens,
The number is calculated by counting the number of lens units or lenses with the line input flag “0”.

In the recycling management device 100, C
The PU 102 calculates, on a daily basis, the total number of devices input to the recycling process input from the input unit 101, the number of reusable lens units stored in the lens unit individual data file 111 on that day, and Based on the number of reusable lens units stored in the individual lens data file 111, the ratio of the lens unit determined to be reusable to the number of devices put into recycling processing, the lens unit Is calculated, and the ratio of the lens unit determined to be reusable to the number of disassembled lens units is calculated and stored in the reuse ratio file 113 of the file device 108 (see FIG. 5). I do.

In the recycling management apparatus 100, C
The PU 102 calculates the new required number of lens units to be assembled in response to the instruction to calculate the new required number of lens units to be input from the input unit 101. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a process for calculating the number of lenses required to be newly assembled.

In FIG. 6, first, in the recycle management device 100, the number m to be processed / assembled / manufactured is input from the input unit 101.
Is input (step S20), the CPU 102 sets the lens unit individual data file 1
Then, the stock number n of reusable lens units is read from 11 (step S21), and the difference S between the planned number m of processed / assembled and manufactured units and the stock number n of reusable lens units is calculated (step S22). Then, it is determined whether or not S (= (mn)) is 1 (step S23). As a result of this determination, the CPU 102 determines that the difference S (= (mn)) is 1
In the case of (1), the difference S (= (mn)) is calculated as a new unit required for assembling the lens unit (step S2).
4) If S (= (mn)) is not 1, it is determined that new assembly of the lens unit is not necessary (step S).
25). The CPU 102 displays the calculation result on the display unit 104
To be displayed.

In the recycling management device 100, C
When the PU 102 receives the instruction to calculate the predicted occurrence ratio of the lens unit from the input unit 101, the PU 102
The correction rule file 114 is stored based on the ratio of the lens units determined to be reusable to the total number of devices put into the recycling process (for example, the average value of the ratios) stored in the reuse ratio file 113 for each day. , And the predicted occurrence ratio of the lens units is calculated by estimating the occurrence ratio of the reusable lens units with respect to the number of devices inserted. CPU102
Displays the calculated predicted occurrence ratio of the lens unit on the display unit 104.

In the recycling management device 100, C
When an instruction to calculate the predicted number of reusable lens units of the day is input from the input unit 101, the PU 102 inputs the estimated number of input units input from the input unit 101 and the calculated predicted occurrence ratio of the reusable lens units. And based on
A predicted value of the number of reusable lens units for that day is calculated. Further, the CPU 102 calculates the required number of new processing / assembly / manufacturing of lens units based on the required number of processing / assembly / manufacturing of lens units and the predicted value of the number of reusable lens units. The CPU 102 displays these calculation results on the display unit 104. Here, the case where various calculations are performed for the lens unit has been described, but the calculation can be similarly performed for a single lens.

As described above, according to this embodiment, in the recycling management apparatus 100, among the lens units removed from the apparatus in the recycling process, the data of the lens units determined to be reusable are input. And
The input data of the lens unit determined to be reusable (lot No., collection date, optical property re-evaluation result) is stored in the lens unit individual data file 201 of the file device 108 and stored in the lens unit individual data file 201. On the basis of the stored data, the ratio of the number of reusable lens units to the number of input devices in the recycling process is calculated on a daily basis and stored in the reuse ratio file 203. Lens unit can be efficiently managed. Specifically, it is possible to efficiently secure and manage a storage place for a reusable lens unit.

In the recycling process, the recycling management device 100 outputs data (lot No., collection number) of the lens determined to be reusable among the lens units removed from the lens unit determined to be unreusable in the recycling process. Date, lens unit re-evaluation result, etc.), and stores the data of the lens determined to be reusable in the lens unit individual data file 202 of the file device 108, and the ratio of the reusable lens to the disassembled lens Is calculated and stored in the reuse ratio file 203 of the file device 108, so that a lens that cannot be used as a lens unit but can be reused can be efficiently managed. Specifically, it is possible to efficiently secure and manage a storage place for a reusable lens.

Further, the recycling management apparatus 100 calculates the number of lens units required to be newly assembled by comparing the number of reusable lens units in stock with the number of new apparatus manufactured. The lens unit can be processed and manufactured systematically, and waste in the processing, manufacturing and assembling process can be eliminated.

The recycling management device 100 calculates the ratio of the ratio of the number of lens units determined to be reusable to the number of devices entered in the recycling process on a daily basis stored in the reuse ratio file 203 of the file device 108. Based on the calculation of the predicted occurrence ratio of the number of reusable lens units to the number of device inputs,
It is possible to systematically process and assemble and manufacture the lens unit, and it is possible to eliminate waste of process setting, inputting personnel and inputting time in the process of manufacturing and assembling.

Further, the recycling management apparatus 100 calculates the estimated number of reusable lens units for the expected number of input units based on the estimated number of input units and the calculated ratio of occurrence of reusable lens units. Furthermore, based on the new number of manufactured units and the estimated number of lens units that can be calculated and reused, the number of lens units required to be newly assembled with respect to the new number of manufactured units is predicted. In addition to the effects of the present invention, it is possible to predict the required number of new optical elements to be processed, assembled and manufactured with respect to the total number of planned productions, and to accurately plan long-term (monthly or annually) assembly line operation, personnel allocation, and process setting. Can be set. That is,
Unnecessary inventory is no longer required, and can be always kept as much as necessary, and waste of personnel and storage space can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be appropriately modified without changing the gist of the invention. In the above-described embodiment, the case where the lens unit is a recycling target has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the above-described optical element (optical element in a broad sense (optical element unit or optical element part)) Is applicable to all cases of recycling.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an apparatus (image reading apparatus) including a lens unit (optical element) to be recycled. Reference numeral 1 denotes a lens unit. FIG. 8 shows a schematic configuration of a scanning optical system, which is used as a writing device of a digital copying machine or a laser printer. For example, in FIG. 8, the fθ lens 10A, the lens 10B, the reflecting mirror 18, the deflector, the cylinder lens 12, the reflecting mirror for synchronization detection, and the like are parts or units to be recycled according to the present invention.
This scanning optical system is used for an image forming apparatus such as a digital copier, a laser printer, and a laser facsimile, and its entire configuration is known as a normal apparatus, and the description is omitted here. .

In the scanning optical system shown in FIG. 8, a light beam emitted from a light source such as a semiconductor laser passes through a cylinder lens 12 which forms a long line image in the main scanning direction, and the line image formed by the cylinder lens 12 is formed. Deflected by a deflector arranged near the position, the fθ lens 10A, the mirror 1
8. Scans the photosensitive drum through the lens 10B.
Although FIG. 8 illustrates a cylindrical photosensitive drum, the photosensitive drum may have a belt shape or a sheet shape. The deflector may use a single polygon mirror such as a galvanometer mirror in addition to the rotating polygon mirror shown in the figure. Further, although a scanning lens is used as a scanning optical element, a scanning mirror that gives a mirror a curvature and condenses light may be used. Further, by using an anamorphic surface having different curvatures in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction for at least one of the scanning optical elements, the deflecting reflection surface and the surface to be scanned of the photoconductor are conjugated, and the deflecting reflection surface is troublesome. To compensate for this.

Next, in effectively developing the optical element recycling method and the optical element recycling management apparatus described above, a scanning optical system is considered as a specific example in which disassembly of the optical element is facilitated and reusability is taken into consideration. The method of holding the optical element in the system will be described below.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a structure for holding an optical element according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a method for holding a long scanning optical element by an optical writing apparatus using laser light. . 9A is a front view showing a holding structure of the optical element, FIG. 9B is a side view, FIG. 9C is a plan view, and FIG. 9D is an explanatory view showing the shape of the holding portion. In FIG.
Is a scanning optical element used for the above-described scanning optical system,
Reference numerals 202 and 202 ′ denote projection-like holding portions provided on the optical scanning element 201, reference numeral 203 denotes an optical housing for accommodating an optical element as shown in FIG.
Reference numerals 205a and 205b denote pressing members for urging the scanning optical element 201, reference numerals 205a and 205b denote holding standards provided in the vertical direction on the optical housing 203 side, and reference numerals 206a and 206.
Reference numeral 6b denotes a support provided on the base side of the optical housing 203.

In FIG. 9, a scanning optical element 201 is an optical housing 203 for holding each optical element shown in FIG.
Are disposed on and supported by the supporting portions 206a and 206b provided in the first portion. As shown in the drawing, the scanning optical element 201
The holding unit 202 (202 ') is provided on the surface where the scanning optical element 201 and the supporting units 206a and 206b are in contact.
As shown in A of FIG. 9D, the holding portions 202 and 202 ′ are not uniform in thickness (width) and have shapes of a thick portion and a thin portion (a shape in which the width changes gently is also possible). are doing.
The scanning optical element 201 is formed by this thick (wide) portion.
Are held by the optical housing 203.

At this time, the scanning optical element 301 is held by the holding reference 205 on the optical housing 203 (FIGS. 9B and 9C).
(See FIG. 3), and is urged by the pressurizing member 204 at a predetermined pressure, whereby positioning in the direction of the arrow in the figure is performed.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of the optical housing 203 holding the scanning optical element 201 as viewed from above.
The holding section 202 (202 ') of the scanning optical element 201 slides in the direction of the arrow through the opening B which is larger than the holding section 202 (202') in the optical housing 203, and slides in the direction of the arrow. Fits in an opening B 'having substantially the same width as that of the narrow portion. At this time, the scanning optical element 201
As shown in the drawing, the support portions 206a and 206b are arranged above the line l (B is arranged below the line l in the figure) so as not to be caught by the support portions 206a and 206b when the slide is performed. It is desirable. When there are three or more support portions, it is preferable that at least a part of B be located inside the polygon formed by the support portions.

Next, FIG. 11 shows an example in which the above-described scanning optical element 201 is provided with an inclined portion in the portion from the opening B to B 'and the supporting portion when the optical scanning device 201 is set in the optical housing 203, in order to facilitate the assembly. This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1A, an inclined portion 203a is provided in a portion extending from the opening B to B ′, and a portion (step) extending from the opening B to B ′ as in a plane portion shown in FIG. An inclined portion 203b is provided. Further, as shown in (c), the projection portion is provided on the support portion 206 with an inclined portion 203c to form a trapezoidal shape.

That is, here, the scanning optical element 201
In order to facilitate the assembling, the holding portions 202 and 202 are provided by providing an inclined portion 203a at the opening B 'or an inclined portion 203b at the side surface of the opening B'.
Can be easily and reliably assembled to B '.
Further, the support portions 206a and 206b are described in FIG.
As shown in (c), by providing the inclined portion 203b to prevent the scanning optical element 201 from being caught during assembly, it is possible to improve the assemblability.

As described above, in order to recycle the scanning optical element 201, the holding section 202,
By providing each of the symmetrical positions 202 ', the assembling by the holding unit 202 is performed, and at the time of subsequent recycling, the scanning optical element 201 is turned over and the holding unit 20 is turned over.
Assembly using 2 'is realized.

Incidentally, in the examples shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, the configuration in which the scanning optical element 201 is held by being pressed and fixed by the pressing member 204 has been described. The fixing method according to the above will be described below. In recent years, a method of fixing an optical element with an adhesive is often used because of advantages such as workability and low cost.
However, when an optical element is recycled, a strong adhesive is used, and when the optical element is removed, the part is destroyed when the optical element is removed. This has an effect on reuse, and the removal operation is troublesome. Therefore,
In this embodiment, an example in which fixing of an optical element by such adhesion is considered will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a holding structure of an optical element according to an embodiment of the present invention by bonding. Here, in order to solve the above-described inconvenience, a cut 202a is provided in the holding portions 202 and 202 'as shown in the figure. By providing the cut 202a, the holding unit 20 can be provided in the above-described dismantling process (see step S2 in FIG. 1).
2,202 'is easily broken. That is, when the disassembling operation is performed at the time of recycling use, the disassembling operation can be easily performed by breaking the cut 202a, and the possibility of affecting the optical function of the scanning optical element 201 can be extremely reduced.

When the holder 202 is cut by breaking the cut 202a, the holder 202 disappears and cannot be recycled. Therefore, at the time of reuse, the scanning optical element 201 is symmetrically positioned with respect to the holder 202. Is used. Thus, even if the holding unit 202 is broken, it can be recycled. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, by providing a plurality of pairs of holding units 202a, 202'a, 202b, and 202'b in addition to the above-described holding units 202 and 202 ', the number of times of recyclable use is increased. Can be increased accordingly.

Further, the scanning optical element 20 is
When fixing 1, it is required to fix it to the optical housing 203 with high accuracy. The adhesive requires a space (thickness) for the adhesive layer when fixing two things. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, an adhesive layer 210 is provided between the optical housing 203 and the holding portion 202 in consideration of the thickness. At this time, the adhesive may shrink, and when such an adhesive is used, the thickness of the adhesive layer 210 may be appropriately set in consideration of the shrinkage of the adhesive.

That is, when contraction occurs, the scanning optical element 201 is pushed upward in FIG. Therefore,
By adhering in a state where it is pressed from above by the amount of shrinkage at the time of adhering, after shrinking, it can be held at a target precision position.

In the above-described embodiment, as a method of removing the scanning optical element 201 from the optical housing 203, the method of folding the holding portion 202 provided on the scanning optical element 201 has been described. The holding unit 202 may be cut along the cut 202a using a tool.

Therefore, the above-described scanning optical element 201
In the method and apparatus for recycling an optical element described in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus (digital copying machine, laser When reusing each optical element of a printer, scanner, or scanning optical device, the holding part is separated from the lens, etc., and the part is disassembled in some way. A disassembly process that is hardly affected is realized.

[0106]

As described above, according to the optical element recycling method of the first aspect, the optical element unit is removed from the apparatus, the removed optical element unit is cleaned, and the cleaned optical element unit is inspected. According to the inspection result, the optical element unit is sorted into a reusable unit and a non-reusable unit, and the data of the reusable optical element unit is inputted, and the number of the devices to be put in is inputted on a daily basis. Since the ratio of the number of reusable optical element units is calculated, it is possible to provide an optical element recycling method that can efficiently manage reusable optical element units. This has the effect.

According to the method for recycling an optical element according to the second aspect, in the first aspect of the invention, the optical element alone is removed from the optical element unit classified as non-reusable and disassembled. A single optical element can be cleaned, the cleaned optical element can be inspected, and based on the inspection results, the optical element can be separated into reusable and non-reusable optical elements. Is input and the ratio of the reusable optical element unit to the disassembled optical element unit is calculated on a daily basis, so that in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1,
There is an effect that it is possible to provide a method for recycling an optical element that can efficiently manage a single reusable optical element.

According to the recycling method of the optical element according to the third aspect, in the invention according to the first or second aspect, the optical element is a lens unit and the optical element alone is a lens. In addition to the effects of the invention according to Item 1 or 2, there is an effect that it is possible to efficiently manage a reusable optical element unit or a single optical element.

According to the method of recycling an optical element according to the fourth aspect, the optical element is removed from the apparatus, the removed optical element is cleaned, and the cleaned optical element is inspected.
Based on the inspection results, the optical elements are sorted into reusable and non-reusable ones, and the data on reusable optical elements is input, and the data can be reused on a daily basis for the number of equipment installed. Calculated the ratio of the number of new optical elements, compared the number of reusable optical elements in stock with the number of new devices manufactured, and calculated the number of new optical elements required for assembly. The optical element can be processed and manufactured systematically, and an optical element recycling method that can reduce waste in the processing, manufacturing and assembling process can be provided.

According to the method of recycling an optical element according to the fifth aspect, in the invention according to the fourth aspect, it is determined that the optical element can be reused with respect to the number of optical elements entered in the recycling process calculated on a daily basis. The expected occurrence ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to the number of devices to be introduced is calculated based on the ratio of the number of optical elements thus obtained. It is possible to predict the number of optical elements, and it is possible to plan and assemble and assemble parts in a planned manner. This makes it possible to eliminate waste of process setting, input personnel and input time in the process of manufacturing and assembling. There is an effect that a method for recycling an optical element can be provided.

According to the optical element recycling method of the sixth aspect, in the invention of the fifth aspect, the reusable optical element for the expected input number is based on the expected input number and the occurrence prediction ratio. The expected number of occurrences is calculated, and based on the estimated number of reusable optical elements for the number of new devices manufactured and the planned number of units to be introduced, the number of new optical devices required for assembly is predicted for the new number of devices manufactured. Therefore, it is possible to predict the required number of new optical elements to be processed, assembled, and manufactured with respect to the total planned number of manufacturing units, and to make accurate plans for the operation (personnel allocation, process setting, etc.) of the assembly line during the month (annual). There is an effect that a method for recycling an optical element can be provided.

According to the optical element recycling management apparatus of the seventh aspect, data of the optical element unit determined to be reusable among the optical element units removed from the apparatus in the recycling step is input. The data of the optical element unit judged to be reusable is stored in the first storage means, and based on the data stored in the first storage means, the input of the apparatus in the recycling step is performed on a daily basis. Calculating the ratio of the number of reusable optical element units to the number of units, and storing the ratio of the number of reusable optical element units to the number of input devices in the recycling process on a daily basis in the second storage means; Therefore, it is possible to provide an optical element recycling management apparatus capable of efficiently managing a reusable optical element unit. Achieve the results.

According to the optical element recycling management apparatus of the eighth aspect, in the invention of the seventh aspect, in the recycling step, the optical element alone removed from the optical element unit determined to be unreusable. Enter the data of the optical element that is determined to be reusable,
Since the ratio of the reusable optical element unit to the disassembled optical element unit is calculated on a daily basis, in addition to the effects of the invention according to claim 1, management of the reusable optical element unit It is possible to provide an optical element recycling method capable of efficiently performing the above.

According to the optical element recycling management apparatus of the ninth aspect, in the invention of the seventh or eighth aspect, the optical element unit is a lens unit.
Since the single optical element is a lens, a seventh aspect is provided.
In addition to the effect of the invention according to the eighth aspect, there is an effect that it is possible to efficiently manage a reusable optical element unit or an optical element alone.

According to the optical element recycling management apparatus of the tenth aspect, in the recycling step, among the optical elements removed from the apparatus in the recycling step, the data of the optical element judged to be reusable is input, and the input is performed. Storing the data of the optical element determined to be reusable in the first storage means,
On the basis of the data stored in the first storage means, the ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to the number of recyclable optical devices input per day is calculated on a daily basis, and the calculated daily recycling apparatus is calculated. The ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to the number of thrown optical elements is stored in the second storage means,
The number of reusable optical elements in stock is compared with the number of new devices manufactured, and the number of new optical elements required to be assembled is calculated. Thus, it is possible to provide an optical element recycling management apparatus capable of reducing waste in the processing, manufacturing and assembling steps.

According to the apparatus for managing recycling of optical elements according to the eleventh aspect, in the invention according to the tenth aspect, the optical element is used for the recycle processing calculated on a daily basis and stored in the second storage means. Based on the ratio of the number of optical elements determined to be reusable to the number of optical elements,
Since the expected occurrence ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to the number of input devices is calculated, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 10, it is possible to perform planned processing and assembly of parts. Thereby, there is an effect that it is possible to provide an optical element recycling management device capable of eliminating waste of process setting, input personnel and input time in the processing, manufacturing and assembling processes.

Further, according to the optical element recycling management apparatus according to the twelfth aspect, in the invention according to the eleventh aspect, it is possible to reuse the planned input number based on the estimated input number and the calculated occurrence prediction ratio. Calculate the expected number of optical elements to be generated, and based on the predicted number of reusable optical elements for the new number of manufactured units and the calculated expected number of units, new assembly of optical elements is required for the new number of manufactured units. Since the number of units is predicted, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 11, it is possible to predict the number of units required for processing and assembling new optical elements with respect to the total number of units to be manufactured. Operation, staffing,
There is an effect that it is possible to provide an optical element recycling management device capable of making an accurate plan for the process setting.

According to the method for holding an optical element according to the thirteenth aspect, a protrusion-shaped holding portion to be joined to the optical housing is provided on the non-scanning portion of the optical element, and the holding portion is inserted into the optical housing. By holding the optical element by inserting the holding part into the insertion part, the optical element can be easily attached to the optical housing, so that the workability is improved, and at the time of recycling disassembly, Since the non-scanning portion that does not affect the optical function can be easily disassembled, the reusability of the optical element can be improved.

According to the method for holding an optical element of claim 14, in claim 13, the shape of the holding portion is as follows.
Since it has at least two portions having different widths or a shape having a smoothly changed width, it can be easily and reliably set in the insertion portion of the optical housing.

Further, according to the optical element holding method of the present invention, since the cut portion for cutting is formed in the holding portion, the recycling dismantling operation can be easily performed. .

According to the optical element holding method of the present invention, since a plurality of holding parts are provided in the thirteenth and fourteenth aspects, the remaining holding parts other than the holding parts disassembled by recycling are used. Multiple reuses are realized.

Further, according to the method for holding an optical element according to the seventeenth aspect, in the sixteenth aspect, since a plurality of holding portions are provided in pairs at the target position with respect to the optical element, the optical element is turned over during recycling. It can be reused by such a simple operation.

According to the method for holding an optical element according to the eighteenth aspect, in the thirteenth aspect, the optical housing is provided with an opening larger than the insertion portion adjacent to the side where the holding portion is inserted. When the holding portion of the optical element is inserted into the insertion portion of the optical housing, the assembling can be easily performed through the opening.

According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the eighteenth aspect, the optical housing is provided with an opening larger than the insertion portion adjacent to the side where the holding portion is inserted, and Since the connecting portion between the opening and the opening is formed as an inclined portion, when the holding portion of the optical element is inserted into the insertion portion of the optical housing, it can be smoothly set in the predetermined insertion portion.

According to the twentieth aspect of the method for holding an optical element of the nineteenth aspect, by providing an adhesive layer between the insertion portion and the holding portion of the optical housing, the fixing with the adhesive is performed. At this time, the adhesive layer can be set in consideration of the amount of contraction of the adhesive, and simple and accurate assembly can be realized.

According to the method for holding an optical element according to the twenty-first aspect, the trapezoidal support for positioning the optical element is provided in the optical housing according to the nineteenth aspect, so that the optical element can be easily set. Positioning is simple and reliable.

According to the optical element holding method of the twenty-second aspect, in the eighteenth aspect, there is provided a support for mounting and positioning the optical element. If there is at least a part of the opening on the support portion side from the line formed by connecting the points closest to the opening portion adjacent to the opening portion, or if there are three or more support portions, the multiplicity formed by each support portion Since the positional relationship is such that at least a part of the opening is present inside the square, troubles such as catching when the holding portion is inserted into the optical housing are eliminated, and smooth and reliable assembly is realized.

According to the optical writing device of the present invention, when holding the optical element in the optical writing device, the holding portion of the optical element is set in the insertion portion provided in the optical housing. The optical element can be easily positioned and fixed, and when the optical element is disassembled for recycling, the non-scanning portion that does not affect the optical function is disassembled, so it can be reused as an optical element without damage be able to.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the non-scanning portion of the optical element has a projecting holding portion joined to the optical housing, and the insertion portion inserts the holding portion into the optical housing. And an optical writing device in which the holding portion of the optical element is set in the insertion portion provided in the optical housing, so that when the optical element of the optical writing device is disassembled for recycling use, By cutting the holding portion, it can be reused as an optical element without damage.

According to the optical element recycling method according to the twenty-fifth aspect, when the optical element is reused, the projection-shaped holding portion provided on the non-scanning portion of the optical element is cut off, so that the apparatus can be reused. Since the optical element can be removed without affecting the optical function, a simple disassembly step can be realized, and a series of recycling steps can be performed efficiently.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart for explaining processing steps of a recycling method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a recycling management apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a table showing a specific example of a lens unit individual data file of the file device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a table showing a specific example of a lens unit individual data file of the file device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a chart showing a specific example of a reuse ratio file of the file device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of calculating the number of newly required lens units to be assembled;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an apparatus (optical apparatus) including a lens unit (optical element) to be recycled.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a scanning optical system.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a holding structure of the optical element according to the embodiment of the present invention.

10 is an explanatory diagram of the optical housing holding the scanning optical element of FIG. 9 as viewed from above.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing an example in which an inclined portion is provided for facilitating assembly of the scanning optical element in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a holding structure of the scanning optical element according to the embodiment of the present invention by bonding.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which a plurality of holding units for the scanning optical element according to the embodiment of the present invention are provided.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 100 recycling management device 101 input unit 102 CPU 103 RAM 104 display unit 105 printer unit 106 recording medium drive device 107 recording medium 108 file device 201 scanning optical element 202, 202 ′ holding unit 202a cut 203 optical housing 210 adhesive layer

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) G02B 7/02 B09B 5/00 Z G03C 3/00 590 B41J 3/00 DF term (reference) 2C362 BA84 BA86 BA90 2H044 AA02 AA09 AA15 AB02 AB06 AB16 4D004 AA21 BA10 CA50 CB50 DA16

Claims (25)

[Claims] 1. A method for recycling an optical element to be reused by removing an optical element unit from an apparatus, a disassembling step of removing the optical element unit from the apparatus, a cleaning step of cleaning the removed optical element unit, and the cleaning An inspection step of inspecting the optical element unit, and a sorting step of sorting the optical element unit into a reusable unit and a non-reusable unit based on the inspection result. An optical element unit ratio calculating step of calculating a ratio of the number of reusable optical element units to the number of input devices on a daily basis. . 2. The disassembling step of removing an optical element unit from the optical element unit that has been classified as non-reusable in the sorting step; a cleaning step of cleaning the disassembled optical element unit; An inspection step of inspecting the optical element alone, a sorting step of sorting the optical element alone into reusable and non-reusable ones based on the inspection result, and data of the reusable optical element alone. 2. A data input step of inputting the following: and an optical element unit ratio calculating step of calculating a ratio of a reusable optical element unit to the disassembled optical element unit on a daily basis. 3. The method for recycling an optical element according to item 1. 3. The method for recycling an optical element according to claim 1, wherein the optical element unit is a lens unit, and the optical element unit is a lens. 4. A method of recycling an optical element for removing an optical element from an apparatus and reusing the optical element, wherein: a disassembling step of removing the optical element from the apparatus; a cleaning step of cleaning the removed optical element; An inspection step of inspecting, based on the inspection result, a sorting step of sorting the optical element into a reusable one and a non-reusable one, and a data inputting step of inputting data of the reusable optical element An optical element ratio calculation step of calculating the ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to the number of input apparatuses on a daily basis; the number of reusable optical elements in stock and the number of new apparatus manufactured Comparing the required number of optical elements to be newly assembled, and calculating the required number of new optical elements to be assembled. 5. The reusable optics for the number of devices input based on the ratio of the number of optical elements determined to be reusable to the number of optical elements input for recycling calculated on a daily basis. 5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising a predicted occurrence ratio prediction step of calculating a predicted occurrence ratio of the number of elements. 6. A generation number prediction step of calculating a predicted number of reusable optical elements with respect to the planned input number based on the planned input number and the generation prediction ratio. A new required assembly number of optical elements for predicting a new required number of optical elements for a new device production number based on the predicted number of reusable optical elements generated for the predetermined planned input number. The method for recycling an optical element according to claim 4, wherein: 7. An optical element recycling management apparatus for managing recycling information in an optical element recycling step of removing an optical element unit from the apparatus and reusing the optical element for reuse, wherein the optical element unit removed from the apparatus in the recycling step Data input means for inputting data of the optical element unit determined to be reusable, and first storage for storing data of the optical element unit determined to be reusable input from the data input means Means, and an optical element unit ratio calculating means for calculating, on a daily basis, a ratio of the number of reusable optical element units to the number of input devices in the recycling step, based on data stored in the first storage means. And the input table of the apparatus for the recycling process on a daily basis, calculated by the optical element unit ratio calculating means. The storing ratio of the number of the optical element unit reusable for 2
An optical element recycling management device, comprising: storage means; 8. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: inputting data of the optical element unit determined to be reusable among the optical element units removed from the optical element unit determined to be unreusable in the recycling step. A data input unit, a third storage unit for storing data of the optical element alone determined to be reusable input from the second data input unit, and a data stored in the third storage unit An optical element unit ratio calculating unit for calculating a ratio of the number of reusable optical element units to the disassembled optical element unit on a daily basis, based on the day calculated by the optical element unit unit calculating unit. Fourth storage means for storing a ratio of the number of reusable optical element units to the unit of the disassembled lens unit, wherein: Management device. 9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the optical element unit is a lens unit, and the optical element unit is a lens. 10. A recycling management apparatus for managing recycling information in an optical element recycling step of removing an optical element from an apparatus and reusing the optical element for reuse, among the optical elements removed from the apparatus in the recycling step. Data input means for inputting data of the optical element determined to be possible; first storage means for storing data of the optical element determined to be reusable input from the data input means; On the basis of the data stored in the storage means, on a daily basis, an optical element ratio calculation means for calculating the ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to the number of input devices in the recycling process, and the optical element ratio calculation means A second storage unit that stores the calculated ratio of the number of reusable optical elements to the number of input devices in the recycling process on a daily basis. And a new required number of optical element assembling calculating means for calculating the new required number of optical elements by comparing the number of reusable optical elements in stock with the number of new devices manufactured. An optical element recycling management device, comprising: 11. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: storing a ratio of the number of optical elements determined to be reusable to the number of optical elements input to the recycling process, calculated on a daily basis, stored in said second storage means. 11. The optical element recycling management apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a predicted occurrence ratio prediction unit that calculates a predicted occurrence ratio of the number of reusable optical elements with respect to the number of input devices. 12. A predicted number of occurrences for calculating a predicted number of reusable optical elements with respect to a predicted number of input devices based on the predicted number of input devices and the predicted occurrence ratio calculated by the predicted occurrence ratio prediction means. Means for predicting a new required number of optical elements to be assembled for a new number of devices, based on the estimated number of reusable optical elements for the new number of devices to be manufactured and the calculated expected number of input devices. The optical element recycling management device according to claim 11, further comprising: a required assembly number predicting unit. 13. A holding method of an optical element for holding an optical element in an optical housing, wherein a non-scanning portion of the optical element has a projection-shaped holding portion joined to the optical housing, and the optical housing has the holding portion. And a holding part for inserting the holding part into the insertion part to hold the optical element. 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the holding portion has at least two portions having different widths or a shape having a smoothly changing width. 15. The method for holding an optical element according to claim 13, wherein the holding section has a cut for cutting. 16. The method according to claim 13, wherein at least two holding units are provided. 17. The method for holding an optical element according to claim 16, wherein the holding section is provided in a pair at a target position with respect to the optical element. 18. The method for holding an optical element according to claim 13, wherein the optical housing is adjacent to a side where the holding portion is inserted, and has an opening larger than the insertion portion. . 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein an inclined portion is provided between the insertion portion and the opening of the optical housing. 20. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive layer is provided between the insertion portion of the optical housing and the holding portion.
10. The method for holding an optical element according to item 9. 21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the optical housing has a trapezoidal support for positioning the optical element. 22. The optical housing has a support portion for mounting and positioning the optical element, and when there are two support portions, connects the point closest to the opening adjacent to each of the support portions. At least a part of the opening is present on the side of the support portion with respect to the line formed by
19. The method for holding an optical element according to claim 18, wherein, in the case of more than one, at least a part of the opening is present inside a polygon formed by each supporting part. 23. A non-scanning portion of an optical element, wherein a projection-shaped holding portion joined to an optical housing and an insertion portion for inserting the holding portion into the optical housing are provided, and the holding portion is connected to the insertion portion. An optical writing device for holding the optical element by inserting the optical element into the optical writing device. 24. A non-scanning portion of an optical element, wherein a projection-shaped holding portion joined to an optical housing and an insertion portion for inserting the holding portion into the optical housing are provided, and the holding portion is connected to the insertion portion. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an optical writing device that holds the optical element by being inserted into the image forming apparatus. 25. A non-scanning portion of the optical element is provided with a projection-shaped holding portion joined to the optical housing, and an insertion portion into which the holding portion is inserted into the optical housing. The method for recycling an optical element according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the optical element is detached from a device that holds the optical element by being inserted into a part, and the optical element is reused.